Joe Ingles back in Australia's National Basketball League after a 12-year, 800-game NBA career

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Joe Ingles is returning to play in Australia's National Basketball League after a 12-year NBA career spanning more than 800 games.

The 38-year-old Ingles signed with the NBL's Melbourne United on a two-year contract just days after the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he played the last two seasons, were beaten by San Antonio in six games in the second round of the playoffs.

It's Ingles' second stint in the NBL — he began his professional career with the now-defunct South Dragons from 2006-2009, winning the 2007 rookie of the year and helping his team to the 2009 title.

Ingles’ NBA career was 810 regular-season games for the Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic and Timberwolves, where he played only 267 regular-season minutes in two seasons (2024–26), appearing in 46 games.

The 2.03-meter (6-foot, 8-inch) forward is a five-time Olympian for Australia, winning a bronze medal with the Boomers in 2021 at the Tokyo Games. It marked Australia's first appearance on an Olympic podium in men's basketball.

“I don’t need the money, I don’t need the notoriety and I don’t need the presence of coming back, but I want to compete, I want to play and I want to win,” Ingles told the Australian Associated Press on Tuesday from Orlando, Florida. “That’s what I’ve missed the last couple of years; that competitiveness of being out on the court.”

Ingles said he was eager to return “home” to Melbourne with his wife, Renae, and their three children.

“I still love competing, I still love the game, and I believe I can genuinely help this group win,” he said. “At this stage of my career, it’s not about individual achievements. It’s about impact, leadership, helping a group come together and chasing something meaningful.”

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